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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rash — a series
  6. cell — in biology
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. mate — to breed
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pop — soda
  16. rash — hasty
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pop — music
  20. season — in sport
  21. mate — a friend
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. season — of the year
  24. safe — a strongbox

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com